Swiss and round-robin · FIDE Handbook C.07
Chess tie-break calculator
Paste a crosstable and choose the tie-break order: you get the standings with Buchholz, Buchholz Cut-1, Sonneborn–Berger, direct encounter, number of wins and the Koya system, worked out under FIDE’s tie-break regulations applied from 1 March 2026.
Standings
Standings
| Rank | No. | Name | Rating | Pts | BH-C1 | BH | SB | DE | WIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Eve Ellis | 2000 | 4 | 12 | 13.5 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | Ann Archer | 2100 | 3½ | 12.5 | 14 | 8.25 | 3 | |
| 3 | 3 | Cat Crane | 2050 | 3½ | 11.5 | 13 | 8 | 2 | |
| 4 | 4 | Dan Drake | 1900 | 2½ | 13.5 | 15 | 5.75 | 2 | |
| 5 | 2 | Ben Booth | 1950 | 1½ | 13.5 | 15 | 3.5 | 1 | |
| 6 | 6 | Fay Ford | 1800 | ½ | 5 | 5.5 | 0.25 | 0 |
- Swiss, 6 players, 5 rounds. Order: points, then BH-C1, BH, SB, DE, WIN.
Unplayed rounds and adjusted scores (5)
- Ann Archer
- Round 5, pairing-allocated bye (16.2.1): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 2.5, the lower of own score 3.5 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- Ben Booth
- Round 3, forfeit win against no. 6 (16.2.2): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 1.5, the lower of own score 1.5 and the scheduled opponent’s adjusted score 1.5 (16.4).
- Dan Drake
- Round 4, pairing-allocated bye (16.2.1): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 2.5, the lower of own score 2.5 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- Eve Ellis
- Round 2, pairing-allocated bye (16.2.1): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 2.5, the lower of own score 4 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- Fay Ford
- Round 2, half-point bye (16.2.5): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 0.5, the lower of own score 0.5 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- Round 3, forfeit loss against no. 2 (16.2.4): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 0.5, the lower of own score 0.5 and the scheduled opponent’s adjusted score 1.5 (16.4).
- Round 4, not paired (16.2.5): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 0.5, the lower of own score 0.5 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- Round 5, not paired (16.2.5): counted as a game against a dummy scoring 0.5, the lower of own score 0.5 and ½ × 5 rounds = 2.5 (16.4).
- For opponents’ tie-breaks this player’s score is adjusted to 1.5: requested byes with no played round after them count as draws (16.3.2).
What each tie-break measures
- Buchholz: the sum of your opponents’ scores. Cut-1 leaves out the lowest of them. Swiss only.
- Sonneborn–Berger: for each round, your opponent’s final score times the points you scored against them.
- Direct encounter: the results among the tied players only. In a Swiss where they did not all meet, a player is placed only if no missing game could catch them.
- Number of wins counts every round scored as a win, with or without playing; games won counts only wins over the board.
- Koya: in a round-robin, your points against players who scored at least half the maximum.
Unplayed games and byes
In a round-robin a forfeit counts as a normal game. In a Swiss, the calculator follows article 16: each unplayed round counts as a game against a dummy who scores your own score, but no more than half a point per round of the tournament for byes, or than the scheduled opponent’s adjusted score for a forfeit. A requested bye followed only by other voluntary unplayed rounds, or in the last round, counts as a draw in your opponents’ tie-breaks, and Cut-1 removes a voluntary unplayed round’s contribution first.
What it simplifies: games score 1, ½ and 0, a one-point bye scores 1, rating-based and team tie-breaks are not included, and any tie left after the chosen list shares the place, where FIDE draws lots.
Sources
- FIDE Play-Off and Tie-Break Regulations, applied from 1 March 2026 (FIDE Handbook C.07): direct encounter (6), wins (7.1, 7.2), Buchholz (8.1), Sonneborn–Berger (9.1), Koya (9.2), Cut-1 (14.1), unplayed rounds (15, 16).
- Points for a pairing-allocated bye: FIDE Basic rules for Swiss Systems, applied from 1 February 2026 (C.04.1), article 3.
- Worked examples with unplayed rounds, used in this site’s tests: FIDE Arbiters’ Manual 2026, “Tiebreak Examples for Unplayed Games”.
Questions
What is Buchholz Cut-1?
Buchholz with the lowest opponent’s score left out. If you had a voluntary unplayed round, such as a requested bye, that round’s contribution is cut instead.
How does a bye count in Buchholz?
As a game against a dummy who scores your own final score, capped at half a point per round of the tournament: with 9 rounds, no more than 4½.
Which tie-breaks suit a round-robin?
Direct encounter, Sonneborn–Berger, Koya and the number of wins. Buchholz must not be used in round-robins.